As was first reported over the weekend, Alabama has officially hired Brian Daboll as its offensive coordinator. The Tide also announced the hiring of Philadelphia Eagles director of personnel operations Joe Pannunzio as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.
"We are certainly happy to add a coach the caliber of Brian Daboll to our staff," Nick Saban said in a statement. "I have known Brian since he worked for us as a GA at Michigan State and he has a fantastic reputation in the coaching profession. He brings a tremendous work ethic to the job and has a wealth of football knowledge. Brian is a great teacher of the game, and someone who can relate well to our players. We are excited to welcome Brian, his wife Beth and their family to Tuscaloosa."
Daboll served as a GA for Saban at Michigan State and went on to serve as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. Daboll deposited two stints under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, including the past two seasons as tight ends coach.
"I am honored to have the chance to return to the college game and work for Coach Saban at Alabama," Daboll said. "He basically gave me my start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in the late 1990s and has always been a very important influence on my coaching career. It is a tremendous opportunity to work at an institution such as Alabama with its rich tradition and history of sustained success, and I'm very excited to get started."
Pannunzio will also serve his second stint under Saban after working as Alabama's director of football operations from 2011-14. He left Tuscaloosa to work in Chip Kelly's front office for the past two seasons.
"I am very pleased that we were able to bring Joe back to our staff," Saban said. "He does an excellent job coaching special teams and tight ends, a role I know he truly enjoys. He is a great fit in our organization and I think our players will respond well to his positive attitude and energy. We are excited to welcome Joe and his wife Rita back to The University of Alabama."
With Daboll's and Pannunzio's hirings, co-offensive coordinator Mike Locksley will handle wide receivers, Burton Burns will focus solely on running backs and Brent Key will oversee the offensive line.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.